This invention relates to personal hygiene, and in particular to a head bathing system and method of bathing a person's head, where the system is self-contained and disposable.
Personal hygiene of a patient or a person who does not have readily available bathing facilities is always a problem. Many different devices and systems have been developed for these purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,311, assigned to the assignee of the present application, discloses a bathing system employing a series of washcloths disposed in a resealable package. The washcloths, which are impregnated with a cleansing solution, can be withdrawn and used for body cleansing, and then discarded.
While washcloths function well for cleansing most body areas, the hair provides a particular challenge simply because hair, rather than a body surface, must be cleaned. Various devices have been developed in the past for such purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,865 discloses a hair washing aid comprising an outer hood which is fitted around the person's head. Water and shampoo are added externally through an inlet, the hair is washed, and run off is captured in an extension. In the ideal scenario, the hair washing aid is able to capture all excess moisture, but in reality, water and shampoo are inevitably spilled.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,424,124 discloses a shampoo cap which also fits around the head and has a series of spaced suction cups which are used for massaging the head and hair after shampoo has been applied. However, no means is provided for rinsing the shampoo, which must be removed, presumably by removing the shower cap.
An automatic, but highly complex, hair-washing machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,861. It is not self contained, is not disposable, and given its complexity, is not feasible.
Hair-coverings or caps are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,138,801; 3,327,720 and 3,399,621. These are simply hair protection or covering devices, and are not used for hair cleansing.